The “Footloose” Remake Is Up Against “The Thing” Prequel This Weekend

Time to hit the theaters and check out some of the new movies this weekend. So, grab some popcorn, milk duds, and a coke and let’s go! I call dibbs on one of the seats next to the railing up front!!!

#1.) “Footloose”(PG-13)

The remake stars Julianne Hough from “Dancing with the Stars”, Dennis Quaid as her dance-hating father, and an unknown kid named Kenny Wormald as Ren MacCormack, the character IMMORTALIZED by Kevin Bacon in the 1984 original.

Sadly, Kevin turned down a cameo, because he didn’t want to be a distraction. (–I think they blew it doing a remake without Kevin Bacon. They should have cast him as the dance-hating dad. How awesome would THAT have been?)

As for the music, Blake Shelton sings the title track, and you get a pretty good feel for the dancing in the video for it. Obviously Kenny Loggins did the original “Footloose” song and he was kind enough to give Blake’s version his seal of approval.

#2.) “The Thing”(R)

Mary Elizabeth Winstead plays a scientist recruited by a Norwegian team that discovers a creature buried in the Antarctic. But once they free it from the ice, it starts killing them off, and passing itself off as human by imitating each of its victims.

It’s actually a prequel to John Carpenter’s 1982 classic of the same name, which starred Kurt Russell as a tough dude at an American research station in the Antarctic. That one opened with a chopper crew trying to kill a dog that wasn’t what it seemed.

The new movie’s set a few days before that. Joel Edgerton from the MMA movie “Warrior”, and Mr. Eko from “Lost” play two American chopper pilots, and Eric Christian Olsen . . . Deeks on “NCIS Los Angeles” . . . is a research assistant.

#3.) “The Big Year”(PG)

A comedy with Jack Black, Steve Martin, and Owen Wilson as three rivals who spend a year traveling together and competing in a bird-watching competition. The rest of the cast includes Rashida Jones, BrianDennehy, and Anjelica Houston.